Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral. He was honoured with a state funeral. They are usually only reserved for a monarch. Churchill was the last non-monarch to receive a state funeral.

In 1965, twin brother Ronnie & Reggie Kray are arrested on suspicion of running a protection racket in London, Sir Winston Churchill dies at the age of 90 and thousands attend his state funeral in London, The Gambia becomes independent from the UK, a Royal Air Force plane crashes in Oxfordshire just after take off from RAF Abingdon killing all 41 men on board, Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs escapes Wandsworth prison and flees to Brazil, Ian Brady and his girlfriend Myra Hindley are arrested and charged with the Moors Murders, the Magic Roundabout premiers on British TV, Mary Quant introduces the miniskirt from her shop on Kings Road, London, PizzaExpress opens its first restaurant in London, race riots break out in Watts, California leaving much of the city burnt and looted and 34 dead, the Voting Rights Act (allowing African Americans to vote) in the US becomes law, Rhodesia declares Unilateral Independence from the UK and becomes Zimbabwe, Malcom X is shot and killed in New York and the films Doctor Zhivago, the Sound of Music, Thunderbolt, the Ipcress File and Help! are all released.

I heart the 60s so much, I could almost cry just thinking about how good the music is from this era. In case you’re wondering how I come up with my list of top tens, I partly use my brain and what music knowledge it contains and I also do a thorough research into what songs were released in that year. I then do a “long list”, which I eventually and painstakingly (especially for the 60s), narrow the long list down to 10 songs. I’m telling you this because any of the songs in my long list for 1965 could’ve easily made my top ten. I did get there eventually though. Here they are, in no particular order.

1. My Generation by The Who

2. Help! by The Beatles

3. Stop! In The Name of Love by the Supremes

4. Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag by James Brown

5. Uptight by Stevie Wonder

6. I Got You Babe by Sonny & Cher

7. California Dreamin’ by the Mamas & the Papas

8. We Gotta Get Out of This Place by the Animals

9. I Put a Spell on You by Nina Simone

10. Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan

I recently told someone that I wasn’t much of a fan of Bob Dylan yet here he is for second time appearing in my top tens. What the fuck do I know?

Yet another week, where I am finding it near impossible to pick a favourite, but it’s between The Beatles, Sonny & Cher, The Supremes and The Who….and I think it’s going to have to be The Who as My Generation is such an authoritative example of British music from that (excuse the pun) generation.

Very hard not to love the 60s! I cannot believe it took the U.S as long as it did to pass the Voting Rights Act. Sheesh. No excuse for that. I have a whole new appreciation for Churchill after watching The Crown. A flawed man, to be sure, but a great and interesting one.
And my favorite is Nina!

It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? That for our parents’ generation African Americans could not vote. When I watched Selma, the most shocking thing was that it all happened not that long ago. Yes Churchill, is a fascinating character. Whilst by no means perfect, he did a lot for this country. I absolutely adored John Lithgow’s performance as Churchill by the way. He was very brave, being an American taking on such a pivotal British historical figure- we don’t tend to like Americans playing British figures (which is a tad hypocritical as many Brits have played American historical figures. See Selma for starters), but he absolutely got away with it as he was perfect as Churchill. I’m going off on one (is that a British phrase?!). If you get a chance to watch that Nina video- do. It is an amazing performance of what is essentially a very dark (but wonderful) song.

I wondered if John Lithgow managed to convince British audiences. I thought he was awesome. His portrayal, whether it’s like the real man I don’t know, but it definitely showed a man with ego for a million miles, but who still had humanity. I think ego ruins many a great person if they let it.
I will definitely watch that video– I love the idea of beauty and darkness.

This is weird now, yet again the Yardbirds were there just sitting outside this top 10 for me. But like I said, anyone that made my long list could’ve been the top ten this week. Mr Tambourine Man is a lovely tune.

I remember watching Churchill’s funeral on the television. I also went to see Sound of Music and Help! in the cinema.

Listening to the playlist, I’m amazed (again), by the number of songs I wasn’t aware of then. The ones that I was aware of were Help!, I Got You, Babe, and We’ve Got to Get Out of This Place. I think Help! is my favourite, but I know the lyrics of most of these songs.

I can’t think of any other pop song that’s recognisable from the first chord.

When I was a child films didn’t come to your local cinema once, but many times. I saw films made before I was born in the cinema – The Wizard of Oz, Dumbo, Fantasia and many others. I think I’d seen The Sound of Music ten times before it was on the TV. My mum and her sister loved it and we all went to see it every time it was on.

The year I was born. I hadn’t realised it was the year Winston Churchill died. Also, I hadn’t realised Brady and Hindley were caught, always thought it was later, (thank god they were caught!). My dad loved the Beatles. 🙂